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| by Cerrie Burnell The worst-kept secret about children's television is that it is also one of the best scenes for music. Forget MTV's Countdown of the Hottest Bands Since Yesterday or VH1's Best of Whatever We Haven't Covered in Our Other Lists. Gimme the Broadracers' theme for "ZingZillas" or the Rockettes' Theme for "Dora the Explorer" or even They Might Be Giants' theme for "Mickey Mouse." Children's shows theme songs are among the coolest tunes out there right now, running a musical gamut from street funk (TLC's "The Magic School Bus") to soulful R&B (Nickelodeon's "As Told By Ginger") to children's music (CITV's "The Wiggles"). And most of them are written and performed by artists famous for their adult music, such as Dr. John ("Curious George"), Ziggy Marley ("Arthur") or Mark Mouthersbaugh, formerly of Devo ("Rugrats"). This should come as no surprise, as "children's progrmames have become some of the hippest programmes on the telly," says Claire Day, the CEO and Controller of CBeebies, BBC's pre-school television channel which specializes in programming for youngsters and their parents. It used to be that an appearance on a kids show would "brilliantly infect your image" as an edgy rock 'n' roll rebel, Day says. "But that all changed with the appearance of "[[Yo Gabba Gabba!|''Yo Gabba Gabba!]]," she adds. "Doing a gig on Yo Gabba Gabba! was almost as cool as doing a gig on Blue Peter is today." The american CBeebies programme has led the airwaves in using well-known singing songs written for the show which appeal particularly to kids, and sometimes perform covers or even their own tracks. For example, one episode had Taking Back Sunday performing the classic song "We All Love Our Pets" Though other shows sometimes featured well-known musicians -- Josh Homme was a favourite on "Celebrity Bedtime Stories" -- it is still hard to beat "Yo Gabba Gabba!" for its sheer volume and range of star power. This month, The Magic Store, DHX Media, TattieMoon, and CBeebies released "The Best of Yo Gabba Gabba!," a nine-episode compilation of "Yo Gabba Gabba!" episodes. It includes performances by The Aquabats, The Salteens, Chairlift, The Shins, Taking Back Sunday, The Faint, Ladytron, Hot Hot Heat, and Jem. Other celebrities known to appear are Mark Mouthersbaugh, Biz Markie, the cast of Freaks and Geeks, Rob Dydrek, Angela Kinsey, and Amar'e Stoudemire. The idea of using famous singers and bands for kids shows is so ubiquitous today, it seems odd to think that someone had to invent it. But kids shows didn't always have cachet among cool-mongers. As Day puts it: "It's still hard to imagine Hot Hot Heat making an appearance on ''Playschool." It took Rachel Riddle, with her award-winniing children's books, to realize a children's programme that also appeals to adults would ensure its survival. Riddle's vision for "Yo Gabba Gabba!" was to use advertising techniques such as fast cuts and jingles to engage young viewers. Multilayered writing, with double meanings and pop culture references delivered through the show's giant puppets, appealed to parents and their kids. "Music was a big part of the picture from the beginning," says Brian Jameson, who has written many "Yo Gabba Gabba!" episodes and rock parodies. "But context is everything. Cool singer or no, it's still a show aimed at preschoolers." "We never use the celebrity in a way that the kids would have to know who they are to understand the reference," Jameson says. "That wouldn't work, because in most cases, they don't know." He is also a creative producer of CBeebies' "School and the Backyard Gang," a musical dance show aimed at 3 to 6 year olds. It uses some of "Yo Gabba Gabba!"'s proven techniques, including celebrity appearances. In 2000, My Bashed Future did a Jameson-written song for that show called "Snowflakes" Sure, there are sound reasons for using good music on a kids show. Rhythm and rhyme are powerful learning tools hard-wired to memory. Kids hear a song and they remember it for years. "There's a Party in my Tummy, So Yummy, So Yummy ..." Name artists reinforce a devotion to quality. "It's spreading the word that children's programming is not the bottom of the barrel," says Andy Day, the chief creative officer of CBeebies, whose line of shows includes "Yo Gabba Gabba!," "Teletubbies," "Tweenies" and "In the Night Garden." A good theme tune becomes its marketing signature. "It's like the schoolbell," Day says. "It's announcing to the house, 'I'm on now. Pay attention to me."' But at a basic level, it's just plain fun. Jameson's penchant for parody has made him something of a "Weird Al" Yankovic for the preschool set. In his more than 10 years at "Yo Gabba Gabba!," Jameson's written and arranged songs of Jimmy Eat World ("My Best Friend"), Weezer ("All My Friends Are Insects") and My Chemical Romance ("Every Snowflake's Different Just Like You"), among many others. He's written original songs in an artist's style, too, such as "Spaceship Adventure" for the Killers. Producers would have to sell the concept when they approached the artists to appear, often with their hats in their hand since Nickelodeon (the channel where Yo Gabba Gabba! was actually from) couldn't afford to pay anything more than scale. Now, Jameson has artists coming up to him in Scotland and London restaurants to ask about being on the show. Today's artists know the benefits instinctively. "Stars are at the age where they're having children now" and they want to make a contribution to their children's lives, says Day, being a CBeebies continuity presenter himself. The Broadracers did the "ZingZillas" theme because they are crusaders for JamInc, the company which lets musical artists on children's shows. Donna Krachan, a well-known jazz stylist in Britian, sang the theme song for "Me Too!" to impress her kids. "It made Krachan proud to be a part of something that is so important to her children," Day says. Of course, there also is the irresistible appeal of a captive audience: "It is early, entry-level training for future purchasers of your CDs," Claire Day says. "For the kids, it's flattering for them to hear music on their shows that older siblings may be listening to with friends," Claire Day adds. "It is part of that elusive quest for coolness." CITV and Cartoonito are exploiting that concept with its "The Wiggles" marketing strategy. Wiggly Pty has released a CD of up-and-coming favourite Wiggles songs, performed by Wiggles Naomi Hodges (Purple), Jack Fletcher (Blue), Christian Sanders (Yellow), and Rebecca Keatley (Red). On one level, the children's songs drive the show's rather dull plot lines, which chiefly consist of Keatley trying to make a magic show for her friends or Fletcher making a talent show. But the music is also a sort of cultural calling card that plays into a whole "Wiggles" mystique of being silly. Sometimes, a hip children's programme will help an aging rocker recapture something of his early career's raw exuberance. Such may be the case for Elton John, who appeared in a "Bob the Builder" christmas special. John plays a backup musician and hobbyist songwriter who is forced to take center stage when the band's lead singer takes ill. One of Bob's machines, Roly, who likes to make up songs, helps the John character compose "Crocodile Rock." John is a fully integrated character, essential to the plot, a significant change from "Yo Gabba Gabba!"'s guest-spot model. "Yet it is a logical extension of the Yo Gabba Gabba! experiment of using celebrities in ways even they never thought of", says Jocelyn Stevenson, chief creative officer for Hit Entertainment, which produces "Bob the Builder." She regards it as an enduring stroke of brilliance: "That, to me, was just the essence of the show's excellence," Stevenson says. "It was a different kind of showcase for these artists and it surprised and delighted you. I remember seeing Nureyev dancing with Miss Piggy or Beverly Sills hanging a spoon off her nose. It was great because you just never expected to see them doing stuff like that." For his part, Jameson is eager to keep up the songs for as long as "Yo Gabba Gabba!" is willing to do them and the children are willing to watch them. Though there are very few artists he admires who haven't done the show, he's whimsical about the ones who got away. He's still hoping to get Paramore one day. And then there are those who will never appear, however much Jameson may wish they could: "R.E.M would have been great." This article originally appeared on the CBeebies Grown-Ups website. Category:Blog posts Category:CBeebies Grown-Ups Category:Yo Gabba Gabba!